Yesterday was my birthday, and in addition to the outpouring of love I received from my friends and family, I was gifted with a few really awesome kitchen accouterments.
Le Creuset 6 3/4 quart oval French oven in my favorite LC color, “flame”. A gift from my husband Whitney, who knows that I’ve been pining over a dutch oven for ages. I am so completely in love with the color of this thing that I can barely stand it, and I’m still poring over my cookbooks trying to decide what I will make first. Irish stew? Jambalaya? Isa’s pumpkin baked ziti with caramelized onions and sage crumb topping? The sky’s the limit, baby.
My new cataplana was more of a gift to myself, and this beautiful copper clam-shaped pan hales straight from the Portuguese coast. Used primarily for cooking shellfish, this little cutie seals in moisture while cooking and can be used to make all sorts of lovely things. And let me tell you, it will.
I also received The New Spanish Table cookbook, which will come in handy for making use of the cataplana, as well as my family of paella pans and cazuelas. The cazuela has been in heavy rotation here in Casa de Wasabimon, so keep an eye out for a post on this versatile terra cotta dish.
And finally, my husband came home and made me a wonderful dinner and surprised me with a gluten free/dairy free cake from the Crave Bakery. We were both blown away by the quality of the cake; the taste and texture were light years beyond what either of us expected. In fact, I would place this among the top five purchased cakes ever, regardless of its allergy-friendly ingredients! I’m a fairly discerning dessert connoisseur, so this is no small feat. Thank you Crave for making my birthday all the more special.
